The regional partners have agreed to increase the frequency and magnitude of joint military engagements across all warfighting domains.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles has announced a new commitment to strengthening defence ties between Australia and Japan amid mounting tensions in the Indo-Pacific.
A joint statement was issued following a meeting between Minister Marles and Japanese Minister of Defense Kishi Nobuo in Tokyo, outlining plans to “elevate defence cooperation” under the Japan-Australia Reciprocal Access Agreement.
Other measures include:
increasing the sophistication of exercises and activities across all warfighting domain to improve interoperability;
advancing cooperation on science and technology, and strategic capabilities, while also accelerating work on the development of a framework to promote cooperation between the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency and Defence Science and Technology Group;
increasing cooperation across space and cyber;
strengthening mutual industrial bases through collaboration on supply chains; and
enhancing coordination of activities alongside Pacific and ASEAN partners.
“The ministers resolved to continue their close bilateral coordination in regional engagement, with the aim of contributing to a free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific and maintaining the rules-based international order,” the joint statement read.
The bilateral meeting followed a Trilateral Defense Ministerial Meeting during the recent 2022 Shangri-La Dialogue.